You're Lucky I Find You Endearing
by Nyanora
Summary: A set of non-chronological stories that showcase the relationship between Athena and Simon. With Athena back in his life, there's never a dull moment for the monochrome prosecutor. Set in between canonical trials. Platonic relationship so far. Contains very minor spoilers for AA: Spirit of Justice.
1. Hydrogen Peroxide

**Hydrogen Peroxide**

He gets a text at 3AM. It's from Athena. He sighs.

Simon Blackquill repositions himself in his bed to open his phone. His eyes glaze over the run-on sentences of text that his friend has sent him. It vaguely reads:

 _"Hey Simon! So here's to hoping you're still an insomniac ^_^; but uhh I'm really really worried…so long story short I woke up cause I heard my elderly next door neighbor fall, so I had to do some first-aid and got some of the peroxide all over the place. It's starting to itch really bad and I'm not sure if you can get a chemical burn or just skin irritation from peroxide. Gratzi in advance!"_

He read it a second time to make sure he responded in a calm and collected manner. Leave it to Athena to gloss over a possibly traumatic experience. Was the elderly neighbor okay? Was she okay? He replies:

 _"No, but luckily I am a light sleeper. I haven't heard of anyone sustaining burns from peroxide, it is most likely a form of skin irritation."_

He places his phone back on his nightstand and settles himself back down into his pillow. However, Simon's mind is now racing. What happened to the elderly neighbor? It has been a few minutes with no reply. He decides to add to his text.

 _"Your elderly neighbor fell and you're worried of a skin irritation?"_

Simon surmises that the burn must truly be worrying her to text him at such an hour. Then again, the situation might be worse than she's making it out to be through text. He decides to rise from his bed to put on some light clothing; that's when he hears a buzz from his phone. He opens it to check the new message.

 _"Okay…so I washed it thoroughly. It looks like it bleached my skin a bit...if that were possible lol."_

He decides to be direct since she's still not answered his question.

 _"What happened?"_

Simon turns on his computer to consult the almighty knowledge of the internet. He normally doesn't second guess himself, but Athena seems so off right now he wonders if it is possible to get a chemical burn from hydrogen peroxide.

Then, a burst of buzzes come from his phone. He takes a moment to query about 'Peroxide skin irritation' before checking to see how she's responded.

 _"OH! She's fine, I heard her as soon as she fell and rushed over. Had to kick the door in, but she just has a scrape on her knee and hand. I told her she's probably really gonna feel it in a few hours, but I'm staying at her apartment for a bit to make sure she's alright._

 _"Then I went a little crazy with the peroxide and bandages, so it got on me._

 _"I also had to pick her up to set her on the chair, but everyone knows I can suplex a fully grown man."_

 _"Then I had to clean up the stuff that fell, the stuff on one of her small shelves…and by that time it was burning pretty badly."_

 _"But I feel much better knowing it's just skin irritation!"_

Oh, Athena. Now he was certain she was downplaying the whole affair. He could even imagine the Cheshire grin on her face as she related her experience of 'just helping' her elderly neighbor. He scrolled through his search results looking for the most reliable advice to give her.

Simon texted her the step by step advice of treating the irritation and also related what not to do. He ended the wall of text by adding:

 _"…Will this be sufficient?"_

She responded almost instantly.

 _"Magnifico! I think that's what I did. I'll go wash it again just to be sure."_

Simon let out a breath of relief. He turned off his computer and settled back into his bed once more. He smirked to himself imagining Athena's thought process through the whole ordeal. He saw that the time on his phone read 4 AM. Had it really been an hour going back and forth with Athena?

He texted:

 _"You're lucky that I find you endearing, Cykes-dono. Otherwise, I would have just told you to burn in silence. May I sleep in peace, now that it's 4 AM?"_

He could imagine a fully awake Athena snipping back at him or asking him if he was really that rude. A minute later he got a reply.

 _"Thank you, Simon! ^_^ and thanks for getting up. You may go to sleep now."_

He assumed that both she and the elderly woman were fine now. So he texted back:

 _"Wasn't a problem, Ms. Chickadee. Take care of yourself and sleep well. Good night."_

Another instantaneous response:

 _"LOL. Good night, Simey!"_

And with that, Simon truly settled himself back into bed and drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.

* * *

So...this is going to be a jumping timeline drabble fic to get me to start writing again. I loved these two interactions in the newest game, so much so it reminded me of how a friend and I speak to each other so...not sure if it will get romantic or stay platonic, but it's gonna be platonic for now.

Hope you enjoy!

~Nyanora


	2. Photograph

**Photograph**

It had been some time since Simon had visited her apartment. That last time, she had hardly settled herself in the new place, and the apartment was bland to say the least. But now, it had as much personality as the Wright Anything Agency. The rooms practically screamed 'Athena Cykes lives here!'

Prosecutor Blackquill had agreed to visit after the two talked a bit at the last trial. They had gotten into discussing how Athena's apartment looked now and how Simon had been meaning to give her a belated birthday gift. So they agreed on today at around lunch for a visit.

Athena heard a polite knock on her door.

"Coming!" she chirped at her visitor. The young woman gave a last cursory glance over her living space to make sure it was to her liking. Then, she jogged over to her front door, unlocked it, and pulled it open. Of course, it was Simon waiting at the door with a small box wrapped in shimmering yellow paper in his hand. He wore an enigmatic smirk on his face and of course, his signature black and white outfit.

"Aww! Simon you made it!"

Athena made a motion to hug him, but held back remembering he wasn't much of a hugger normally.

"Of course," he replied and turned his head to not quite look at her. "It is you who makes a habit of showing up late."

She stomped her foot with both her hands landing on her hips.

"Hey! It's called being fashionably late!"

"Court isn't a fashion contest."

"HOLD IT!" she protested holding up her hand to his face. "Come inside the house already, geez. It hasn't even been a full minute, and we're already debating about my _completely reasonable_ lateness."

"Hmph," the man simply replied opting to step in and wipe his shoes on the mat. He then began to unlace them, putting them on a shoe rack that Athena had prepared near the door. The young attorney observed him from a short distance, waiting for him to finish. She was so excited to give him a tour of her abode, she shifted from side to side in eagerness. He rose up sans shoes and eyed her sharply.

"What has you so…jumpy today?"

Athena gave her cheesiest smile, then motioned to her living space.

"Do I need a reason?" she countered saucily.

"As a fellow psychologist, you should know the answer to that is 'yes.' However, Cykes-dono your actions always speak louder than your words," Simon replied with a dry expression. He then offered her the box which she graciously took.

"Ah! Merci! Merci! But first, a tour. Then, I'll open my gift. Follow me!" Athena explained. She gingerly placed the box upon her coffee table. With her arms she motioned to the space they currently occupied.

"This is the foyer/living room. Please take notice of the yellow and blue pillows now on the couch as well as the bird themed welcome mat. Oh! And I finally got a nice TV with blu-ray player, for all my movies of course."

Simon simply nodded heading over to the next room.

"The kitchen! I was able to get towels and potholders to match each season. As you can see, the color is yellow for now. And my magnet collection!" Athena explained.

Simon studied the fridge in detail taking note of the various locations the magnets depicted. Among them were Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Great Britain, Ireland, and Switzerland. He studied one in particular where her picture was edited to look like she had met the Queen of England. He knew that Athena enjoyed borrowing expressions from other countries, but had no idea she had actually traveled to these places. It was heartwarming seeing these mementos despite them being touristy trinkets.

"We can come back to the magnet collection later! Next is the restroom," she announced. He pulled a face at her insistence on seeing all the rooms, but followed anyway.

Athena opened the door to the closet-sized bathroom with a flourish. The color scheme followed the same theme as the rest of the home with the rugs and towels being made of a fluffy material. The shower curtain depicted yellow hibiscus flowers and the toiletries were piled neatly in a wicker basket.

"Clean," Simon commented.

"Yes, working at Wright Anything Agency will do that to you," she replied then closed the door.

Athena then moved on to a door to the right which had a circle shaped dry-erase board that read, 'Welcome Back!'

"It's always nice to see that after a long day," she explained, then opened the door. He nodded at that noting that seeing Taka after a long day had the same effect on him.

"And the finale, my room!" Athena grinned gauging her friend's expression as he studied the area she so prized.

Despite the small size, Athena made the most of the room. The overall feel of it was light and airy. She used white translucent curtains for her windows, and her bed was filled with far too many pillows and a few stuffed animals that Simon remembered from her childhood. She had two small shelves: one filled with movies, and one that was divided into books and random electronic gadgets. She had a sliding door closet on the side wall and various pictures of international bands lining the back wall. However, what caught Simon's attention was the ivory colored vanity that sat near the entrance. Athena had positioned a number of small frames with pictures of friends and family. One of which contained a picture of he and Juniper Woods smiling at the camera.

A small grumble arose from the prosecutor.

"I don't recall ever having this picture taken of me."

"Oh?" Athena responded. She looked to the picture he referred to with fondness. "That was the night after you were acquitted. Remember, you decided to join us to eat some of Eldoon's Noodles, much to Mr. Wright's dismay," she added with a snicker.

"Yes, I remember that, but when was this picture taken?" he persisted.

"I took it, with my phone camera, and I decided to print it out," she shared with a bright smile.

"Hmm…" he grumbled now eyeing Athena. "I should throw it out when you're not looking."

Athena's face dropped, and she protectively reached for the picture.

"No! This is my picture that I took, and I love it! You can't tell me what to do with it!"

"My face is on it. I should at least have a say."

"At least, I didn't put it on social media without your permission, and I'm the only one who's going to be seeing it anyway. So, let me keep my picture, that you and Juniper are _both_ in!"

Simon let out a long, long sigh. Then he turned to take his leave of her room.

"Very well…" he muttered, but of course Athena could hear him clearly. She let out a light giggle knowing she had won. The young woman then bounded over to the couch inviting him to take a seat.

He complied by leaning back into the couch and adjusting himself among the pillows.

"Ooh! I'm excited to see what you got. Maybe, I can guess," she crowed carefully lifting the box.

"Or you can just open it," he suggested.

"What's the fun in that, Simon?" she argued back. Athena put her ear to the box checking to see her friend's expression every few moments. He made no motion to hint to what could be inside, so she began gently lifting the sparkly paper.

"Or you could just tear it open," Simon spoke up once more.

"This is nice paper, Simon!" she defended her actions as she slowly revealed the contents of the package. She pulled open the box top to reveal…

"A Snow Globe! Or Glitter Globe! Of Nine-Tales Vale! Awww! It's perfect!" she gushed. Athena shook the globe violently, then placed it on the table. She nearly pressed her face to the globe in order to see the details.

"It's got a replica of the castle, and even the place with the cat tail noodles! Makes me wonder what Jinxie would think if glitter started falling from the sky!" she joked.

"She'd probably say it's the work of a yokai," he added.

"Yeah…" Athena laughed then sobered. "This was my first case when I arrived here. It always meant a lot to me. I finally got to see you again as well."

"Wasn't the best time for me, but I knew you would like it," he replied. The prosecutor laid back on the sofa with his arms crossed, but a soft expression on his face.

Athena grinned back at Simon with watery eyes. She quickly rubbed any happy tears away.

"Well, I love it," she related and hopped up from the couch. "I need to find a perfect place to put it."

Simon silently watched Athena worry over where to place his meager gift with the same soft expression. He had hoped Athena would find value in the snow globe, his indecision of what to get her had caused the gift to be belated in the first place. Athena's voice awoke him from his thoughts.

"What do you think?"

"On top of the flat screen?"

"It'll be fine! Plus, it's easy to see."

Athena observed the placement of her gift. Her face pinched in a serious expression.

"Bellissimo! Let me shake it one more time before we go get lunch," she explained while doing just that.

"SO PRETTY!" Widget chirped.

Simon rose from his seat with a hardy chuckle.

"Well it's yours, so you can do whatever you want with it. Any suggestion for lunch?"

"Hmm…well I've been meaning to try this soba place on the west side of town. Everyone says it's pretty good. Like, really authentic," Athena suggested while fiddling with her earring.

Simon froze in place.

"You mean Whet Soba? I've been there multiple times," he informed her.

Athena looked a bit deflated.

"Oh…well, do you still want to go there?"

"Yes! It's one of my personal favorites," Simon enthused. He nearly glided to the doorway to wait for Athena to collect her things, so they could leave.

"Yay! Okay, well you have to recommend the best dishes!" Athena cheered, her mood playing off of Simon's.

He rewarded her with a sly smirk.

"Don't worry about that Athena, just have your appetite ready."

* * *

Another chapter while I still have ideas :D I love writing these two, with the only trouble being how to fit Widget in without making it seem forced. Either way, hope you enjoy!

~Nyanora


	3. Halloween

**Halloween**

It was that time of year again. That time of year when the seasonal Halloween stores began opening up. So, Athena was not surprised when she got a text from Trucy late September 30th. Halloween was Athena's and certainly Trucy's favorite holiday.

 _"Hey Athena! Want to do some Halloween shopping tomorrow?"_

 ** _"Yeah! I can go after work. Let's invite some other people too!"_**

 _"Ooh! Sounds like fun! Trucy Gramarye on the case!"_

Athena then texted Juniper, Apollo, and Simon if they wanted to join as well. Even though, Trucy probably asked Apollo. She got a quick response back from Juniper asking if she could invite Hugh and Robin.

 **"Of course!"** Athena responded.

The next morning, while going through her notes at work, she got a response from Simon. It read:

 _"Who will all be there? And if I were to come, would you be willing to pick me up?"_

She smiled after reading the response from her old friend. To be honest, she expected him to say 'no.'

 ** _"Definitely Junie, Trucy, and Apollo. Maybe some others, but Apollo's going to drive too. So we'll end up taking two cars anyway."_**

Athena put down her phone and went back to work on her holographic desktop. She smiled to herself, thinking of Simon hanging out with her other friends. She probably should have considered it earlier, but she hoped everyone got along well.

The young lawyer heard another buzz from her phone. She unlocked it and read:

 _"Then I will join you all. What time should I be ready?"_

That was a good question. Athena placed her phone back on the desk. She and Trucy hadn't decided on a specific time. She paused a moment to hear if the young magician was still in the office.

As if to answer her question, Mr. Wright popped into the main room with a hurried look about him.

"Hey Athena! Could you tell Trucy I can't go Halloween shopping with you guys this evening, I just got a consultation call from an old friend," he explained.

"Uh, sure. I'll let her know when I see her. Wait…Trucy invited you Mr. Wright?" Athena asked with an incredulous look and a cat-like grin.

"Well, we used to go every year, but this works out. And, I'm sure she really doesn't want to bring her old Dad around everywhere. She just asked to be nice," he added while rubbing the back of his hair.

Athena's eyes narrowed.

"Boss, are you sure that it's not because you're the one who doesn't want to go this year?" the red head posed.

Phoenix headed for the door.

"Just let her know, Athena. Thank you," he chided, then closed the door behind him. She rolled her eyes and went back to thinking of her reply.

She could send Simon a good educated guess of when she thought they would be going. Plus, it would be better than giving him no answer at all, waiting for Trucy to get back.

She responded:

 ** _"Prepare for 6!"_**

She added a jack-o-lantern icon at the end and pressed 'Send.'

* * *

Apollo kept peering out the window of the Wright Anything Agency. He gazed into the shadowed parking lot that recently lost the light of the setting sun.

"So, you told them we're all supposed to meet here?" Apollo asked Athena for the second time.

"Yes. Except for Simon, we'll have to meet him at the prosecutor's office," she replied.

Apollo pulled a face. His signature 'horns' flopped over his forehead.

"Yeah, right…"

Athena paced back and forth. Junie and her friends hadn't arrived yet, neither did Trucy's last minute guest, whom she had invited after she heard Mr. Wright cancelled. She checked her phone once more to see if she had gotten any message about them being lost or something.

"Ugh! This wouldn't have happened if Daddy had just come along!" Trucy complained.

Suddenly, someone's phone buzzed, prompting all three to look down.

"It's me!" Trucy squealed.

She read the message, then let out a huff.

"Boo…he says he can't meet us until 8, if we're still out," Trucy grumbled.

"That's fine. He'll just have to drive. So, we're just waiting on Junie then," Athena summarized.

"He?" Apollo accused.

Trucy giggled, "It's a secret!"

"Only to me!" he countered back at her.

"Polly! We can't be your only friends," Trucy argued. She stood up with a stamp of her foot and pointed at Apollo. "I noticed your face when Athena mentioned Prosecutor Blackquill!"

"I'm so glad you're finally concerned about my social life…" Apollo commented dryly.

The sound of an approaching car permeated the office. Its headlights shined brightly, and a bit of the light leaked into the room.

"I hope that's her this time," Athena mentioned.

Apollo stood up and pressed his face to the glass to check. He hummed, unsure of the occupants, but then the headlights were turned off.

"Ah! My eyes have to readjust…" he cried blinking his poor eyes rapidly.

"Let me see," Athena demanded. She left her pacing area to push past Apollo.

She saw three figures exit the car, one unmistakably Juniper Woods.

"That's them!" Athena announced. "Vamanos!"

The athletic teen ran outside before Trucy and Apollo could gather their things to leave. She could hear Apollo call out something to her, but she darted out before she could make sense of what he was trying to tell her.

"Junie!" She called to the Juniper-shaped figure.

"Thena!" replied the soft-spoken girl.

Juniper Woods wore a long multi-layered dress with a large straw sunhat. She fiddled nervously with her cloth handbag, but smiled brightly at her childhood friend.

Athena in turn tackled her with a hug. Juniper let out a squeak of surprise.

"HEY MAAAN! LET US IN ON THE GROUP HUG TOO!" shouted an all too familiar 'manly' voice.

"Yeah, I do feel a bit left out," added another haughty voice.

Athena turned to the smiling faces of Robin Newman and Hugh O'Conner. She had put one hand on her hip to address them.

"Well, we don't have all night!" she commented, then motioned for them to bring it in for a group hug.

The two hopped in, crushing poor Juniper in the middle. The three goofballs cheered, while Junie coughed out a giggle.

"O-okay, I think we should, um, stop. We made poor Thena, Apollo, and Trucy wait long enough," the young woman added. The three pulled back from her upon request. When Juniper's arms were freed, she readjusted the hat on her head and let out a light cough.

"WE'RE SORRY ABOUT THAT MAN!" Robin directed her shout at Athena.

"We were trying to get Miriam to join us as well, but um…" Hugh trailed off.

The three shared a look with each other. They're eyes asked if they should tell Athena what happened.

"It's fine," Athena guessed. "I'd imagine I'm not her favorite person…or Mr. Wright for that matter."

The three looked relieved upon hearing Athena's response.

The sound of footsteps reached the ears of Athena. She knew Apollo and Trucy finally caught up with her, especially once she saw her friend trying to hide the blush on her cheeks.

"Hey! Juniper, Robin, Hugh! How are you guys?" Mr. 'Chords of Steel' boomed at the new arrivals.

Each person said their hellos. Then, they decided who would be joining whom in each car. It was soon obvious that wherever Juniper went, the majority of the group would be going. So, with Apollo driving one car and Athena driving the other…Apollo had a full car.

"I would go with you Thena, but you wouldn't have enough room in your car for Prosecutor Blackquill," Juniper mumbled.

"It's fine. I'll catch up with you guys there then," Athena waved them off.

"I'll go with you Athena," Trucy suggested. She jumped out of the passenger's seat of Apollo's car which she had claimed a moment ago.

"You'll be fine without me Polly?"

"I'll manage," Apollo responded too quickly.

Trucy pouted, but then a sly grin appeared on her face.

"Don't worry! We'll have lots of time tomorrow to practice magic tricks!" she exclaimed with a hop in her step.

Apollo escaped to the driver's seat of his car, for now.

* * *

The time on the car dashboard read 6:50 when Prosecutor Blackquill entered the backseat of Athena's car.

"Nearly an hour after you said when I was to be prepared. Can't say I'm surprised," he opened. His tone suggested he had a condescending smirk on his face.

"Well, hello to you too Simon," Athena countered. She backed out of the parking space as soon as he'd entered.

"Hi Prosecutor Blackquill!" Trucy chirped from the front seat. Simon greeted her in reply, but Athena effectively talked over it.

"It wasn't even my fault this time!" the red-head argued.

"Ah, _this_ time. Well then, who shall I have to do sword practice on for wasting my time?"

Athena grinned.

"Miriam Scuttlebutt."

He was silent, stewing over his response.

Trucy turned in her seat with a bright smile.

"Well…It was actually Robin, Hugh, and Juniper, but they were trying to convince Miriam to come. But you really wouldn't use them all for sword practice, would you Prosecutor Blackquill?"

Simon let out a light, "hn." Then he responded, "Practice makes perfect. Wouldn't you agree, Trucy?"

"Oh, completely! I guess the more to practice on the better," the magician giggled.

Athena could only imagine their evil grins and cackling as she kept her eyes on the road. She had to change the conversation topic before she became a back-up practice dummy for both Trucy and Simon.

"Uh. So, we're meeting up at Ghouls & Goblins first?" Athena posed.

"That's what we told Polly!" Trucy responded.

"Have either of you been there yet?" Simon's voice questioned from the back.

"Nope, but it should be fun looking at costumes and décor!" Trucy announced turning to the backseat once more.

"So, Simon, got any idea what you're looking for? A few ravens to decorate your office with?" Athena joked. She attempted to look at his expression through the rear view mirror. However, it seemed he already had an answer in mind.

"I hoped I could find an amusing costume for this year."

Athena attempted not to burst out in laughter, but she let out a few chuckles that could be considered coughs.

"Is that funny?"

"To me, yes."

"May I ask why?"

"I just imagined you in jeans & a t-shirt as your costume."

"I sometimes wear-" Simon started then stopped short. His eyes narrowed. A few of Athena's chuckles slipped out, causing Trucy to join in.

"Athena, are you implying that my work attire is a costume?"

She took a deep breath before answering.

"I'm just going to say, if you see something similar to your 'work attire' as a costume, don't be offended."

Simon huffed, and said no more until they arrived at the seasonal shop.

* * *

" _What_ is this shoddily made _mimicry_?"

Athena and Apollo had recently approached Simon, who was scanning the costumes. He was standing in front of a few choices that read, 'Traditional Samurai,' 'Dragon Samurai,' 'Steel Samurai,' & 'Japanese Swordsman.' Athena laughed heartily, leaving Apollo to observe the two questioningly.

"I told you!" she got out between bursts of laughter.

"No, Cykes-dono. This," Simon explained holding up the one labeled 'Japanese Swordsman,' "is nothing like my work attire, but is a gross mockery of historic Japanese clothing."

The female lawyer glimpsed at the stiffly posed man on the packaging and resumed her laughter.

"The Steel Samurai one isn't too bad," Apollo attempted to defend the merchandise. However, the prosecutor was still stuck on his complaints.

"This one in particular…displays false advertisement. The sword the model is pictured with is not included in the costume."

Simon tossed the bag aside.

"So, what is a swordsman without his sword? Is he merely a man cavorting around in loosely fitting drapes?" he posed, his thumb stroking his chin.

Athena howled in laughter. She attempted to regain some composure by holding onto one of the clothing racks.

Apollo swiftly turned his head to cough, then asked, "You wanted to dress as a Samurai, Prosecutor Blackquill?"

"As I've seen my options, no, Justice-dono. I would do better wearing a prison outfit. Those shan't be easy to butcher," the dark prosecutor responded crossly.

"Aw c'mon Simon no need to be dramatic! It's all in fun anyway. I'm sure you'd get a lot of fans being the Steel Samurai," Athena spoke up and attempted to throw a lazy arm around her tall friend. He easily avoided her with a sidestep.

"…Where are the striped prison outfits?" Simon pointedly asked Apollo.

"I think they were on the last aisle…?" he answered pointing to where he saw them.

"Geez. Ignore my suggestion then," Athena huffed moving away from the two men. She pointed behind her. "I'm gonna go look at the masks, if you need me."

"I'm going to check on Trucy for a sec, then I'll join you," Apollo said with a light wave.

"I will catch up with you as well," Simon replied still studying the costumes with distaste.

"Oui, oui," she waved them off, but then turned back to Blackquill. "Hey Simon, if you really wanted an authentic outfit, we could go to one of the family shops that make them."

He put down the bagged costume and gave her a faint smile.

"Nothing to worry about Athena. I'll meet you at the masks," he nodded his head suggesting she move along. She smiled back with an eye roll and headed in the direction of the wall of masks.

Athena studied the grotesque wall that held various types of masks. Of course there were the staple skeleton, zombie, clown, and 'Scream' guy. But also, there was a few unexpected ones like a horse, the past presidents, and an anime girl face. Although, the one that caught her eye was an overly realistic chicken mask with a hollowed out mouth to see through.

She reached up to pull the mask down from its higher vantage point.

"Found something you like?" said a gruff voice.

Athena pulled the mask over her head and turned to face none other than Apollo. He was wearing a large trenchcoat that was a size too big for him.

"Who are you supposed to be?"

"Just a salesman, young lady," Apollo responded in the same gruff voice. He gingerly opened one of the sides of his trenchcoat to reveal a variety of pockets.

"Salesman, huh? That's 'Chicken' to you, Mr. Salesman!" Athena mock demanded.

She then took out her cellphone and handed it to Apollo. "Could you take my picture? I want to see what I look like."

"Ah, of course, young-uh, Chicken," Apollo responded while putting the trenchcoat on a shelf behind him. He steadied the phone in his hands as Athena posed with her signature peace sign. The gesture was a contrast to the oddly fitting mask whose glazed eyes looked up to the sky.

Once he was done Apollo put the phone back in her hands, and Athena lifted the mask off to get a better look at the photo.

She guffawed at the image, and commented, "Magnifique! Exactly what I wanted!"

Athena smiled at Apollo, but noticed Simon approaching behind him. Her eyes widened as she noticed something odd atop his head.

"Uh, Simon? Are you wearing a long black wig on top of your hair?"

"I thought that was obvious," his voice rumbled.

Apollo turned around to see the normally intimidating prosecutor with the aforementioned on his head.

"Oh. Wow."

The lawyer retreated from the two momentarily. As soon as he moved a few steps away, Athena could hear bits of laughter from Apollo's direction.

She started to grin.

"Why-yy?" she drew out with a light chuckle.

"I wanted to see how I'd look with long hair," he paused face seeming deadly serious. "What do you think?"

She cocked her head pretending to size up the dark black wig.

"It looks just like you."

"I had a feeling you'd say that."

Simon readjusted the wig on his head for good measure.

Athena's face twisted in her attempts to remain mock serious.

The prosecutor's eyes moved behind her as she heard Apollo approach. She could only guess what Apollo had done this time by the rare expression on Simon's face.

Apollo had made a point of standing next to the tall prosecutor. He now wore the same wig that Simon sported. Apollo motioned to the both of them, then tried to mirror Blackquill's expression. In a few seconds they were sizing up each other with a half smirk.

"That's a fetching piece on you Justice-dono," Simon complemented. He stroked his chin between his fingers. Apollo mimicked the gesture.

"Same to you, Blackquill-dono," Apollo replied in a similar timbre.

"Should I leave you two?" Athena joked. In sync, they glanced at her with narrowed eyes. She put the chicken mask back on.

"What's going on here?" Trucy's voice broke in between them as she stomped her boots up to the three.

"Exactly what it looks like," Athena mumbled from behind the mask.

Both Apollo and Simon turned to Trucy in a similar "Twisted Samurai" pose.

Trucy crossed her arms, and looked away from them.

"Polly! Take that hair off! The two of you are creeping me out!"

Not giving Apollo much of a choice, Trucy pulled the wig off his head. She produced her magic panties from thin air and stuffed the wig into them.

"Ah, much better!" she chirped.

Apollo drooped in stature.

"There goes my fun…" he lamented.

Prosecutor Blackquill put a comforting hand on Apollo's shoulder, pulled the wig from his head, and placed it on Apollo's head.

"I'll not need it any longer."

Apollo took the wig with both his hands and gave Blackquill an appreciative nod.

"Uhh…I think it's about time we go," Athena suggested as she pulled off the chicken mask. "Is Juniper nearly done?"

"Yeah, she was heading towards the register," Trucy responded.

"Allons-y!" Athena announced. Then added, "Apollo, are you going to get that wig?"

He chuckled with a light blush and scratched the back of his head.

"No, but I did see something else. I won't be long," he said heading to the back of the shop.

"Simon?" Athena posed to the darkly clothed man.

"I shall probably take your advice and get my costume elsewhere. However, I did find a few ravens to decorate the office with," he added with a smirk.

"Excellent!" she said pumping her fist.

"And you?" he inquired.

"Well, the mask was a little more expensive than I wanted, but I'm gonna get the mini top hat instead."

Trucy chimed in, "Ooh! I got one too! What color did you get?"

The two talked about top-hats and matching outfits until they got to the register. Juniper, Hugh, and Robin were standing aside, waiting for the others. The trio had found some interesting decorations and had actually pitched in together to buy a 'life-size' ghoul that tried to grab one from its grave.

After making their purchases, the group migrated outside. Apollo came out last with a dark colored bag.

"Where to next?" he offered.

"Food!" Athena cheered. Juniper, Hugh, and Robin echoed her cheer.

Trucy sidled up to Apollo with an impish smile.

"Whatcha get Polly?" she sang.

"I'll show you once we get there," he told her pointedly and hid the bag behind his back.

"Apollo, let me see!" Trucy fussed and tried to reach around him.

"Juniper calls shotgun!" Apollo argued back, then jumped into the driver's seat and closed the car door.

"Hey!" Trucy squeaked. She looked over at Juniper with puppy's eyes.

"Uh-Uhm," the quiet girl protested nervously, looking around for help. "Well, uh, I don't have to sit there."

Trucy pried the passenger's side open.

"See Apollo, Juniper doesn't want to sit there."

Apollo poked his head out of the window.

"Please?" he pleaded with a similar expression to Trucy's.

Two sets of sad eyes were staring Juniper down. She blushed furiously and pulled down her hat to cover her face.

"U-um, **cough** - **cough** , well…" Juniper couldn't catch her breath momentarily and breathed into her sunflower.

Hugh stood in front of the young woman as if to protect her from Apollo and Trucy's gaze.

"Stop picking on Juniper. We'll go in Athena's car," he firmly stated.

Juniper piped up behind him, " **Cough-cough** …But it only seats four."

Hugh staggered, a bit crestfallen, but Robin stepped up in his place.

"You go with Athena then, we'll be f-i-n-e," she told Juniper with a wag of her finger.

"Yeah! We'll make sure to talk some sense into those two," Hugh rejoined with an air of confidence.

"I-I guess I could do that…if that's fine with you Athena?"

"Of course!" Athena replied, but spoke under her breath, "I doubt they could break up a spat between Trucy and Apollo though."

Simon caught the comment and chuckled. He walked towards Athena's small car to take the backseat, when he felt a sudden tug at his back.

"Oh, no!" Juniper exclaimed. "Please, take the front seat Prosecutor Blackquill! I'll sit in the back."

"Um…" Simon stalled glancing at Athena for confirmation to which she shrugged. He looked back to Juniper who was very visibly stressed. The prosecutor strongly believed in the path of least resistance and simply replied, "Very well."

In all, and taking longer than it should have, Apollo, Trucy, Hugh, & Robin rode in one car, and Athena, Simon, & Juniper rode in the other. She followed Apollo's car to the intended food destination.

"So Simon, what do you plan on doing for Halloween?" Athena asked while keeping her eyes on the car ahead.

He was watching the scenery pass by from his window. He tilted his head to face her.

"Well, there are talks of an office party. And while the chief prosecutor did not plan it himself, he is allowing them to go 'all out.' Naturally, since I work there, I will be going."

She let her weight shift onto the steering wheel.

"Sounds interesting! We're probably going to go trick-or-treating. Trucy says it's tradition. Although…"

A dramatic pout appeared on Athena's face.

"This might be my last year! They'll start telling me I'm too old to be trick-or-treating!" she cried out and ended with a loud 'sniff.'

A soft rumble came from Simon's direction.

"It's true!" she defended and momentarily glanced his way. "At least Trucy's got a few more years."

The prosecutor scoffed, then said, "Let people say what they will. If you really enjoy trick-or-treating, then go."

"Really?" she cried.

"Well…if they refuse to give you a treat, you could trick them. I personally would swiftly draw my blade, unseen to the naked eye. Then, all the candy would spill from the container onto the floor. I'd imagine it would be much like a piñata party," Simon described sounding pleased with the thought.

Athena gave him a derisive look.

"You haven't actually done that, have you?"

"No, but it does remind me of a guy I met in the clink. He was in for harassing children every year for their candy, and every consecutive year he was caught his sentence became longer. He told me that children wasted most of their candies anyway, and that the food in prison wasn't too bad."

Athena's face scrunched up at the anecdote, but Widget filled the silence with, "CREEPY!"

He chuckled at that.

"So, Junie," Athena began, "do you have any plans?"

The woman in back hummed to herself momentarily then confessed, "No, not really…but trick-or-treating does sound fun. I-I mean as long as there's no person going around stealing candy."

"Come with us then!" Athena exclaimed at the reflection in the rear view mirror.

"I-Is that okay? I'm still not sure what to wear."

"C'mon! Please! You know…we still have another shop to go to after we eat. I could help find a costume for you."

"Don't expect anything well crafted, Juniper…" Simon added.

Juniper let out a relieved sigh.

"Thanks Thena! A-And I'll keep that in mind Prosecutor Blackquill."

A big cheesy smile warmed Athena's face. Simon smirked as well.

"No problemo, Junie! Plus, you don't have to keep calling Simon, Prosecutor Blackquill. We're all friends here."

"Isn't that for me to offer, Cykes-dono?"

"Aww c'mon, don't start getting all formal on me again! Just when I thought I begun to reveal a new side of you."

"Meaning?"

"You know…like you're normally really stand-offish, but you decided to come hang out with us. And I really appreciate it…" she trailed off.

Before he could answer with a fitting reply, they had arrived at the intended destination, Eldoon's Noodles.

Athena put the car in park and turned it off. She opened her door, but yelped and shut it back.

"What happened?" Simon asked, concerned.

Then, Juniper yelped as well upon seeing a bug-eyed masked mooning at them through the window.

Simon launched out of his seat to confront the prankster. He began to brandish his sword, but stopped short when he noticed Apollo's signature red suit and Trucy not far behind him, giggling. He was wearing the anime mask from earlier with Trucy's top hat on his head, crouching by Athena's car window.

"What's wrong with my face, Athena?" he asked through the window. Trucy let out peals of laughter.

Simon sighed, relieved but annoyed.

"Justice-dono, what in the name of Themis are you doing?"

Upon hearing Simon's voice, Athena threw her door open once more. She looked up to see Apollo in that goofy mask and top hat.

"You two!" she shouted, "That was uncalled for! Do you know you scared Junie?" she argued, glossing over the fact she had been scared by it.

"NOT COOL!" Widget finished.

Juniper carefully extracted herself from the back seat. She purposely avoided looking in the direction of the soulless looking anime mask. Apollo lifted the mask from his face, to reveal his bright smile.

"We didn't mean to scare you Juniper," Apollo expressed.

"Or impose on you earlier," Trucy added.

Hugh and Robin approached the group, just getting out themselves.

"We swear, we didn't have anything to do with their antics," Hugh pled to Juniper.

"But, that mask is so…COOL MAN!" Robin shouted clenching her fists.

"We meant to scare Athena," Apollo explained. "…Seemed like it worked," he added with a grin.

"Only because you jumped at me!" Athena fumed. She pulled at Blackquill's sleeve. "Simon's going to use you two as sword practice!"

"You should have been more observant, Athena. It was obviously Justice-dono," Simon countered while putting away his sword.

"Ack! Not you too!" she cried out to the heavens.

Then, a new melodious voice commented, "Achtung baby! I hate to hear a fraulein in distress."

"Oh no," Apollo muttered, his hair flopping in front of his face.

Athena smiled conspiratorially.

"Prosecutor Gavin!" Trucy cheered, "Glad you could make it."

The glowing, glimmering face of Klavier Gavin beamed as he approached the group.

"Glad to be here, Fraulien. So, what have I missed?"

Apollo muttered at Trucy through clenched teeth, "You never said _he_ was your guest."

Trucy bopped her own head lightly and stuck her tongue out.

"That's cause I didn't mention it…"

"So," Klavier waggled his eyebrows, "who required my aid?"

Before Athena could announce it was her, a large Simon-y hand covered her mouth.

"Hey!" she protested, muffled by him.

"You misheard," Simon simply responded. However, Klavier could easily see the sight in front of him, Athena struggling against Prosecutor Blackquill's arm.

The blond let out a nervous chuckle.

"Well, if you insist Herr Blackquill."

The rock prosecutor turned to Trucy and Apollo. "Well, shall we?" he posed motioning to the noodle stand.

"Gladly!" Trucy concurred, taking his arm. Juniper, Hugh, Robin, and Apollo (reluctantly) followed along. Leaving Athena and Simon still at the car. He finally released his arm.

"What the heck, Simon!" Athena loudly complained. "Aren't you supposed to be on my side!"

She turned to him with a saucy glare. Her impatient tapping foot demanded that he explain himself.

"And what did you expect Prosecutor Gavin to do?" he suggested not quite looking at her.

"Duh. Defend my honor!"

Simon began to chuckle, then laughed heartily. Athena's face turned red, her mouth scrunching up in anger.

"I DON'T SEE WHAT'S SO FUNNY," Widget beeped out.

He calmed his laughter, now completely focused on her. Her face fell under the scrutiny.

"Then, I apologize that I didn't do so earlier…" he expressed.

"Huh?" she blurted not expecting that answer.

"Defend your honor," he stated with a knowing smile. He extended an arm out to her when she said nothing in return.

"Come, let us eat the salty noodles, then continue our search for decent costumes," he offered.

Athena grasped onto his outstretched arm, anger gone. She beamed at him.

"I thought you had given up on the costumes," she prodded.

"Well…" he stalled clearing remembering the state of the other costumes, "that doesn't mean I can't assist the others."

Athena snickered at that.

The two continued their walk to the noodle stand where they indeed ate salty noodles, conversed with the others, then set off to explore more Halloween stores.

-The End-

* * *

Hey! Nyanora finally here! So, I wanted to end this chapter a bit differently, but it was getting way too long...longer than I'd first planned. Not to mention, I wanted to post it before Halloween passed. _

Sorry for any typos, just let me know in a message.

And as always thanks for reading!

~Nyanora


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